


Better Together

by zombiesbecrazy



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Back Up, DickandDamiweek2019, Fluff, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt/Comfort, I guess it depends on your point of view?, Non Graphic, beating up some bad guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiesbecrazy/pseuds/zombiesbecrazy
Summary: Sometimes a little back up is needed, during the fight and after.





	Better Together

**Author's Note:**

> For @dickanddamiweek Day 2 - Injury. I wasn’t planning on writing for today, but this little thing popped in my head. Unedited and unpolished, but here we are!

“Why don’t you guys ever pick on someone your own size?” said a voice from the rafters above Damian’s head, and a small grin crept across his face at the familiar tone. “I know that I’m shorter than some of you too, but Robin doesn’t even break five feet. Come on. That’s just not fair.”

“We didn’t go after the kid! He jumped us!”

“Yeah, I’m sure you were perfect, law abiding citizens who were absolutely not in the middle of robbing this bank that we’re in at… what? 1:37am on a Tuesday?” The mask was covering his eyes, but it was obvious that he was rolling them beneath it. “You’re obviously completely innocent in this whole matter.”

Within a matter of seconds Damian had gone from concerned to relieved as Grayson dropped down into the fray that he had found himself overwhelmed in. He had come across these bank robbers in his standard patrol route and had called in for back up because as skilled as he was he knew that ten men with at least one gun each was probably not going to swing in his favour. He had expected Batman to be the one showing up, but Nightwing was a pleasant surprise. Damian hadn’t even known that Grayson was in town.

The fight started as it always did; all at once and with a bang. Four shots rang out and Grayson pushed Damian out of the line of fire and then danced away himself, but most of the men had the sense to not use their guns in such a close proximity, which was lucky because someone was bound to get hurt. They fell into their old rhythm quickly, like there hadn’t been any time away from their regular partnership. There were differences though, between Grayson as Nightwing and Grayson as Batman, primarily the more aerial fighting style and lack of cape, but it felt familiar and calming, even in the middle of combat.

Their adversaries were big and strong but weren’t particularly skilled in hand to hand fighting, nor had they thought to spread out in the bank, so between the two of them, Robin and Nightwing were able to end the attempted robbery fairly smoothly, leaving all ten men unconscious on the floor in under eight minutes.

Not their personal best, but solid.

They split up and went to work at restraining the men’s wrists and ankles in case they awoke before the GCPD arrived on scene. Damian secured his last thug and stretched his neck out, making a loud pop noise as it released.

“You okay?” asked Grayson from nearby, already done his half, and Damian nodded, before remembering the rule about verbal confirmation of his health status post fight. It was a diagnostic tool in itself.

“I am.”

“No injuries?” It was annoying that he double checked, but Damian was aware that he had lied about injury more than once in the past. He didn’t like being questioned though, even if he knew that Grayson was just being thorough.

“No. I am unharmed.” Damian turned away from Grayson and the men to contact the GCPD for pick up. He appreciated Grayson’s concern, but it was unnecessary. If Grayson hadn’t found him and assisted in the fight he would almost certainly be injured, outnumbered and outgunned as he had been, but with the two of them working together their adversaries hadn’t stood a chance.

“Good. That’s good.” Grayson’s breath was heavy with exertion, which was odd. He normally recovered faster than that. There was then a sharp intake of breath that caught Damian’s attention, diverting his focus and he hung up on the police. Turning around, he saw Grayson wobble a fraction as he held a hand to his leg, pain visible on his features, mask or no mask. “Because I think you’re going to need to carry me in a second.”

“Nightwing?”

Grayson dropped to the ground before Damian could move, before he could even blink, crumpling up into a heap on the cold pavement, hissing in pain as his knees hit the ground.

“Nightwing!” Damian rushed to his side and started to examine Grayson’s leg. Grayson was applying his own pressure, but he still needed to check.

“Bullet. Right at the start.” Grayson spit out the words like they were venom. He was sweating quite a bit. “Maybe hit my femoral?”

Damian pulled his hands away from the leg and inspected his gloves, considering the options. There was blood, but it seemed minimal and discrepant to the amount of pain the Grayson appeared to be in. “There isn’t enough blood for that.”

“Suit keeps it contained.” Damian nodded at the words, because he had forgotten that Grayson’s suit had built in functions to compress to wounds. It wasn’t perfect or permanent, but it had saved his life more than once. “Not for too long though.” Grayson coughed. “Car?”

“Right.” Time was ticking and the suit’s natural ability was temporary. They needed help. “Robin to Cave, we need a mobile extraction. Nightwing’s been shot in the leg and needs medical assistance ASAP.”

“ETA four minutes, but you will need to get him out to the street. I’ve contacted GCPD for you.” said Pennyworth calmly in his ear. Damian had forgotten about his dropped call to them in the commotion. “Status?”

Damian knew that whatever he could convey to Pennyworth would assist him in treatment protocol when they returned so he surveyed Grayson quickly and methodically, running through his training like it was second nature. It almost was with the amount of time he had done this. “Conscious. Rapid heartrate, but strong. Heavy breathing. I do not see an exit wound.” There seemed to be more blood now, spreading across the blue of Grayson’s fingers as they covered the wound. “Exsanguination seems unlikely, but I can’t tell with his suits compression capabilities.”

“I’m not bleeding out,” breathed Grayson with a hint of irritation, “in my suit.”

“I know. I will not allow it.”

“You’re not the boss of me.” A simple bullet to the leg and Grayson was acting like a petulant child. Or he was attempting to joke. Damian looked at his face, studying the quirk of his lips.

Joke it was. Two could play at that game. If a distraction was what Grayson wanted, a distraction was what he was going to get.

“I should be. You are terrible at looking after yourself.”

“Alright. You can be the boss of me until we get back to the Cave and you hand me off to Penny-One.” Grayson shifted to his knees. “You’re going to have to help me up.” It was awkward to get Grayson back to his feet, but between Damian wrapping his arm around his waist and Grayson’s tight grip on his shoulder, they managed and started to shuffle their way out of the bank.

“You need better armour, you fool.”

“Have armour. Great armour. It was a lucky shot.” The limp that Grayson had indicated that Damian’s assessment had been correct and the bullet was still lodged in his leg, which was bad, but at the same time he wondered if it was helping to slow the bleeding.

“Your Batman uniform had more protection.”

“Yeah, but it also had a stupid cape.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Capes are ridiculous.”

They made it halfway to the door before Grayson stumbled and groaned, making Damian pause while his regained his composure. Grayson took close to a minute with his eyes squeezed shut tightly before he nodded and they started to shuffle towards the door once more. “That bullet. You took it for me,” said Damian softly. Grayson had pushed him. A shot to Grayson upper leg would have landed in Damian lower abdomen, through his back. He wouldn’t have even seen it coming.

“I’d take all the bullets for you.”

“I’d rather neither of us take bullets.”

There was a breathy chuckle in response. “That’s rather cheery. Let’s both agree to not get shot again for a while. I had forgotten how much it sucks.”

“Agreed.”

Getting through the banks revolving door was a challenge in itself but they managed, making it to the street, with the Batmobile parked out front and the sounds of sirens in the distance growing closer. Damian opened the car door and Grayson collapsed into the passenger seat before he pulled a pack of gauze from the consol and pressed it against his leg.

 “Looks like you’re driving, kid.” He leaned back into his seat and clenched his jaw tight as he settled in.

Grayson was alright. He was going to be fine. Damian just had to get him home.

“I should always drive. I am the better driver.” He shut the passenger door and went around to the other side. He started the car and pulled away from the curb just as the lights of the police cars came into view behind him. “Thank you,” he said, drumming his bloodstained fingers against the steering wheel, steadfastly watching the road instead of his injured brother beside him. “For coming to help. I would not have been able to stop them all on my own.”

“Anytime, Robin,” said Grayson, staring out the window as they left the scene with his hand pressed firmly against his leg. He held his fist out to Damian, who bumped it in response. “Anytime.”


End file.
